Emeli is reluctantly on a health kick – but says it’s worth it for how it makes her feel

Over the last five years, Emeli has made life-changing decisions both personally and professionally, including a painful divorce, a self-imposed career break, splitting from her manager of 12 years and a lengthy period of building up her confidence.

Emeli and her ex-husband Adam Gouraguine split after one year of marriage

The magnitude of what she’s been through has had a huge impact and provided a wealth of inspiration for her second album Long Live The Angels, which went to No.2 when she returned from her music hiatus last November.

But it was the incredible achievements of her debut release, 2012’s Our Version of Events, that eventually left the Scots-born singer in desperate need of a break and almost on the verge of quitting the music industry altogether.

The album spent 10 weeks at No.1, sold over 2.5 million copies in the UK and broke a record previously held by The Beatles for the longest run in the Top 10 for a debut album, with 66 consecutive weeks.

Emeli – whose real name is Adele, but she uses her middle name professionally to avoid confusion with the other rather successful singer – should have had the world at her feet.

The phenomenal success of Emeli’s debut album, Our Version of Events, left her contemplating quitting music

As the bestselling artist of 2012, she performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics, sang for President Barack Obama at the White House and spent two years touring the world. But the singer came under fire for overexposure.

Social media was alight with mocking memes, including a prank song list for the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which featured only songs by Emeli Sandé. And a tongue-in-cheek Twitter account was set up to document “Sandé sightings” and gained thousands of followers.

So horrified was she at the reaction to her success that she briefly thought about leaving the industry.

Emeli was hurt by people mocking her for overexposure and it made her question if she was doing the right thing

“I was like: ‘Should I stop? Should I continue? Should I just go away?’ I considered it now and again, but I was never serious. I knew I’d never break away from music, but I felt that if people didn’t want to see me singing then I could do other things.

“It’s very hard to get the balance right, and I never want to force anything on anyone. But I was also very proud of what I was representing, as when I was a kid I didn’t see many women who looked like me on TV.”

Instead, she took time out to reassess and rebuild her faith in herself – which had taken a severe bashing – by returning to her hometown of Alford in Aberdeenshire to spend quality time with her mum Diane, dad Joel and sister Lucy, 28.

“I needed to build my confidence up. I came into the industry with lots of it, because I didn’t know any different. Then you [come to] London and [join] the industry and you’re like: ‘Am I doing it right?’

Emeli was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at Glasgow University – she had enrolled to study medicine but quit three years in to pursue music

“You have lots of people behind you and a lot of opinions, but you forget the only opinion that got you here was your own. Everyone has the best intentions – I have no one in my team who doesn’t want the best for me. But without being a diva, you have to shut everything out and be like: ‘What’s the whole point of this?’”

This period of reflection also led Emeli to call time on her year-long marriage to her marine biologist husband Adam Gouraguine, 30.

The pair met as teenagers and started dating in 2004 during Emeli’s gap year before she enrolled to study medicine at Glasgow University (she quit three years into a five-year degree to pursue her love of music).

She and Adam got engaged at the height of her fame in January 2012, and eight months later – weeks after herOlympics closing ceremony performance was watched by 26 million in the UK – they secretly flew to Montenegro, where Adam was born, to marry in an intimate ceremony.

You have lots of people behind you and a lot of opinions, but you forget the only opinion that got you here was your own… Without being a diva, you have to shut everything out and be like: ‘What’s the whole point of this?

Emeli Sandé

But Emeli – who planned to change her name professionally to Emeli Sandé-Gouraguine – soon realised they were better off as friends, and their marriage ended a year later.

Four years on, the split is still incredibly raw.

The morning of the shoot, her team warn us not to discuss the subject, worried it would bring back painful memories.

Her tattoo tribute to her ex-husband – “I love you Adam” in Serbian on her left breastbone – is hidden today in a series of high-neck outfits, despite no plans to have it removed.

It’s a different story with her album, though. The lyrics on lead single Hurts are brutally honest (“Baby, I’m not made of stone, it hurts loving you the way I do, it hurts”) and she bares her soul on Lonely (“Let’s stop wasting all our energy… don’t lie to me, I knew you felt the changes”).

Despite the warning from her team, Emeli does touch on the subject, insisting the album is not a break-up record and admitting her marriage floundered because of her success.

“The reason I don’t want it to be a break-up album is because it was more about my growth, and sometimes relationships aren’t right,” she says softly.

“There was so much love there, it wasn’t like: ‘You go that way and I’ll go that way.’ We were growing in different directions, and that was so painful for us both. That’s why I never wanted to speak about it – I don’t want to expose anyone who hasn’t consented. It’s disrespectful on my part. There is definitely [still] love there.”

Emeli still has a tattoo tribute to her ex-husband Adam and says there is ‘still love there’

She pauses for a few seconds before continuing.

“It’s about being grown-up and taking your decisions very seriously. It was a mature decision. It was painful for me, but I also don’t want to cause pain to anybody else. [You can’t] allow yourself to be overwhelmed with negativity or guilt. There are certain people you should be friends with, and there are certain people you should… it’s a very different thing.

“Falling in love is amazing, but beyond that there are practicalities. How do we make this last for 30 years? That’s the dream.”

The dream is clearly inspired by her parents, who have been together for 30 years and survived the worst of times as well as the best.

We were growing in different directions, and that was so painful for us both. That’s why I never wanted to speak about it – I don’t want to expose anyone who hasn’t consented.

Emeli Sandé

Her Zambian-born father Joel met her English mother Diane while at Sunderland University, and the couple moved to Scotland when Emeli was four.

But their mixed-race marriage provided the ultimate test in a political climate that saw the family face huge prejudice.

“They went through the most horrible racism in the ‘80s, and my mum had the National Front saying to her: ‘Why are you with a black man?’

“Their love for one another was so strong, and my sister and I have always had an example of pure love. I want that – I want a companion for life.”

Emeli has made an estimated £6 million since 2012, but recently traded in her £105,000 BMW i8 for a second-hand Volvo

But two charity trips – one with Oxfam in 2014 to her dad’s childhood village of Serenje in Zambia, and another to meet street kids living in Mbale, Uganda, with Comic Relief earlier this year – saw her trade in her £105,000 BMW i8 for a more practical second-hand Volvo.

Inspired by her dad’s old car from her childhood, it’s not the model of choice for your average pop star.

“The BMW was really fancy – the doors came up and everyone loved it. But then I thought it wasn’t me. So recently I got rid of that. My dad used to have an old-school turbo Volvo 480, so [I bought one] and I’m going to pimp it up.

“I’ve got this guy who can spray-paint it champagne white with gold rims and put in a sick sound system. It’s an acquired taste, but I feel like this is the real me.”

She’s certainly not taking a leaf out of her new mentor’s book.

I’ve got this guy who can spray-paint it champagne white with gold rims and put in a sick sound system. It’s an acquired taste, but I feel like this is the real me.

Emeli Sandé

In December 2015, after splitting amicably from Adrian Sykes, who was her manager from the age of 16, Emeli set up her own company in partnership with Jay Z’s record label Roc Nation.

The rapper’s car collection is estimated to be worth £11million and includes a customised Maybach Exelero worth £6million alone, plus a Rolls Royce Phantom.

She talks of being inspired by her business partner, and is in awe of where he can take her career.